Cameron McGavin

The dilemma: Sean is looking to buy a new compact SUV. It’ll be used mainly for urban driving but he’d like it to be capable of towing a small boat and tackling the odd dirt road now and then.

He doesn’t have kids, but space in the back for his gear would be a good thing. He’s weighing up between a Skoda Yeti 77 TSI 2WD and Subaru Forester, or should he be looking at something else?

The budget: About $30,000

The shortlist:

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The Yeti, in top line 103 TDI form, took out its category in Drive’s 2011 Car of the Year awards so Sean could certainly find worse places to start.

The Forester? It isn’t as fashionable as some rivals these days ­– or, with its exclusively AWD line-up, as city-orientated – but it remains a solid option with well-rounded set of qualities that will suit many buyers. A great yardstick, in other words.

These two, however, are by no means the only compact SUVs on offer in this part of the market. Here’s one that meets Sean’s key requirements while offering a real point of difference to the Skoda and Subaru.

Mitsubishi Outlander LS 2WD, from $29,340

With VW’s Tiguan and Kia’s Sportage not amazingly well endowed with boot space and Honda’s CR-V and Toyota’s RAV not really doing anything a Forester can’t it comes down to the Outlander to carry the can.

It’s not perfect. The cabin feels a bit cheap, it’s noisy and the road manners are no better than adequate. You also need to fork out $1500 for curtain airbags (bundled with toys like Bluetooth and parking sensors) if you want it to match the five-star ANCAP ratings of its rivals.

In this company, though, the Mitsubishi’s five-year warranty is a unique and potentially lucrative asset. Its roomy, versatile cabin, big boot and flexible 2.4-litre petrol drivetrain add to its strong rational appeal.

The Yeti is the new kid on the compact SUV block and, as newbies tend to do, it raises the bar in the odd department.

That’s particularly so of the cabin, which is surprisingly roomy in light of the compact exterior, if a little bland. It’s also clever, with individual back seats that can be folded every which way (or removed) to suit the situation.

The Skoda also mounts a formidable value attack, and there’s not much bad that can be said of its safety, road manners or the 77 TSI’s economy. The small 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine, however, really struggles at times and asks for premium unleaded.

The entry-level Forester X doesn’t go out of its way to impress with its plain-Jane presentation and dowdy steel wheels.

The Subaru, though, hits the bulleye on many key fronts, from its strong safety to its spotless quality. It’s roomy, comfortable and the boot is usefully sized, while the 2.5-litre petrol engine delivers respectable response without needing a bucketful of revs.

It would be better, though, with a CVT or double-clutch auto like its rivals rather than an archaic four-speeder. It’s not the sharpest compact SUV to drive, either, though mandatory AWD adds an extra element of slithering ability compared to the other cars.

This wouldn’t be much of a contest if the base Yeti had its act together under the bonnet. In most areas it’s the best car and buyers who are not in a hurry won’t be disappointed.

But Sean’s towing requirements – light though they may be – hand the advantage to its bigger-engined, more able rivals.

There are two ways to assess the battle between the Outlander and Forester. If you want the best buy and the least hassle go for the Mitsubishi; it’s more than acceptable in most key areas and its five-year warranty offers unmatched peace of mind.

Here, though, we tend to reward the better car and the Forester has a depth of quality and ability that runs deeper than its Japanese counterpart. It’s anything but exciting but it will effortlessly deal with whatever Sean can throw at it.

32 comments so far

There is no contest, yet the winner was overlooked. The CRV is one of the larger SUVs that rides well, adequate performance and good economy for both the manual and auto models. It's only let down by offbeat styling. As for offroad, the CRV is more than capable of traversing a gravel road. Just avoid lots of thick heavy mud or sand and it wont have a problem. The yeti with this 1.2 petrol engine will need to driven hard to get anywhere in a reasonable time, factor in towing something and you could be overtaken by powerwalkers... The Forester feels old (and it is getting old), the interior is way behind the opposition and the 4 speed auto just doesn't cut it. Mitsubishi model will be replaced with an all new model so bargain very very hard or else heavy depreciation may be an unwelome factor come trade in time down the track.

Commenter

RS3200

Location

Newcastle

Date and time

April 26, 2012, 1:23PM

When you consider what they offer these light-weight FWD or on-demand AWD vehicles serve little useful purpose other than to seat the passengers higher off the ground. You can't go off on a camping trip without a tent. The only one that I could find that you could sleep in fully stretched out with the tailgate closed was the early Hyundai Tucson / Kia Sportage. Their towing capacities are low as well. So what do people need them for other than as urban barges?

Commenter

Yasi

Location

Cairns

Date and time

May 17, 2012, 4:43PM

The Forester has the ground clearance needed for light off-road duties. It works well on the beach.

Commenter

Viv R

Location

Adelaide

Date and time

May 18, 2012, 6:49PM

The Nissan XTrail blows all these vehicles out of the water. Very comfortable on all roads, serious offroad ability (on the 4x4 model) plenty of grunt and best in class boot space. Take a look at the recent sales stats for XTrails. They are off the chart for a reason. I use mine for camping, fishing in the high country, mountainbike adventures, towing the boat and the daily commute. Fantastic vehicle.

Commenter

XTR

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 17, 2012, 5:24PM

Spot On!!!

Commenter

X....

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 18, 2012, 12:04AM

Xtrail ..... great load area for gear, but not enough leg room for adults in the back. Back seat passengers love the Forester and don't mind the Yeti/Tiguan.

Commenter

Viv R

Location

Adelaide

Date and time

May 18, 2012, 6:51PM

Why would I put adults in the back? The prado, challenger etc cater for that sort of thing. Ground clearance and lowrange 4x4 is vital for much of the driving I do. My XTrail suits my needs to a T. Station wagons have their place, but certainly not for my lifestyle.

Commenter

XTR

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 19, 2012, 2:54PM

Jesus, just buy a station wagon. It's all these things are.

Commenter

mark

Location

Date and time

May 17, 2012, 6:02PM

"just buy a station wagon"

Well said. I can highly recommend the Skoda Octavia too (probably not is RS form though, as to fit within the budget here)

Commenter

Zoolander

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

May 17, 2012, 8:41PM

Hear, hear! And with the money you save on petrol could pay for a psychiatrist to help get over whatever it is that makes you want an SUV to drive around town in.